Ziggurat Cuisine — Restaurant in Makati

Food: 10 Ambiance: 7 Service: 7

The amount of food choices on the menu can be overwhelming. Majority of the time you will not be disappointed regardless of what you choose. The rice options are incredible. Recommend trying the Jordanian Rice or the Yemeni Ginger Rice. Lamb Francoise is also a must try. Last time I ordered kebabs were a bit dry, hopefully that was a one off.

Ambiance is okay. The floor/cushioned seating looks comfortable enough but have never sat there. Personally would rather eat on a chair/table setting. The few table shake settings small and nothing that you could sit back and relax on for an extended period of time. Basically lending to a eat and leave kind of experience.

Service has been hit and miss over my visits. Last one that sticks out is where I ordered takeout and they confirmed the order. I then called back a few minutes later to confirm how long until the order was ready and they said they were not sure as there was no power. :) Assuming that might have been mentioned on my initial order. Also when the staff says order will be ready in a specific amount of time, it usually ends up being double the amount of time they mentioned. Overall service is adequate.

I will still keep going back simply because the food is so...

My sister and I went on a bit of an adventure one particular Sunday afternoon, with a sudden craving for curry. One simple google search and we saw Ziggurat as a highly reviewed place for mediterrenean cuisine. One quick grab ride and we arrived at the place. It was an early Sunday afternoon and the place was empty. By the way, the establishment runs 24 hours, so we assumed most of its business would be at night time. Inside was a cozy place, and they have tables with chairs or with floor cushions, if you want to feel more of the middle eastern motif

Their menu was expansive and admittedly a bit intimodating. Though they provide short descriptions of the dishes, its is pages upon pages of choices with no pictures. The curry menu alone was stagggering, and a bit overwhelming with all sorts of variations. We ordered 2 types of curries and the hummis sampler and all of the food tasted amazing. The spices definitely tasted authentic middle eastern cooking. Admittedly, the place is pricier than most, and the place itself is a bit far from our side of Metro Manila, but will definitely venture back to try more items...

This has been one of my go-to places for hearty and comforting food in the pre-pandemic days. I still recall their newspaper-style menu which probably featured over 200 dishes from more countries than any other place I've been to. I had the dream of trying as much from the menu - but alas, the handful of things we tried eventually became our favorites. Sadly, the dream to try as much as we could died.

And now I was able to go back. Lazy Sunday afternoon. The hustle and bustle of the area was greatly diminished (I was even able to park right beside the restaurant). I guess that's the effect of the pandemic and it being a Sunday afternoon.

I'll cut this nostalgic post short and leave you a list of my favorites from this iconic place:

Harira - love this comforting soup Gambian Jollof Rice (extra meat) - again, mouth-watering, tasty and hits the right spot Madras Egg Curry - wow Nigerian (Beef or fFish) stew - I've tried both and they are equally spectacular Kebabs - can't go wrong with what you pick here

This is one of those places where foodies will truly get confused as to...